Rates of Any and Exclusive Breastfeeding by Socio-demographics among Children Born in 2009 (Percentage +/- half 95% Confidence Interval)1,2
Any Breastfeeding Exclusive Breastfeeding
Ever Breastfed Breastfed at 6 Months Breastfed at 12 Months Exclusive Breastfeeding through 3 Months Exclusive Breastfeeding through 6 Months
Socio-demographic Factors n % ± half 95% CI % ± half 95% CI % ± half 95% CI n % ± half 95% CI % ± half 95% CI
US National 23542 76.1±1.0 46.6±1.2 24.6±1.0 23216 35.9±1.1 15.6±0.9
Gender
Male 12020 76.0±1.3 45.8±1.6 24.2±1.4 11857 35.4±1.5 15.5±1.1
Female 11522 76.1±1.4 47.4±1.7 25.0±1.5 11359 36.4±1.7 15.9±1.4
Race/Ethnicity
Hispanic 4354 80.1±2.1 47.4±2.7 26.0±2.4 4294 35.4±2.7 15.5±2.1
Non-Hispanic White 13998 77.7±1.2 48.6±1.4 25.7±1.2 13806 39.6±1.4 16.6±1.0
Non-Hispanic Black 2558 60.7±3.1 33.4±3.1 15.9±2.4 2529 24.2±2.8 10.7±2.1
Non-Hispanic Asian 912 86.3±3.7 65.2±5.6 34.9±5.6 894 40.6±6.2 22.0±6.0
Non-Hispanic Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 116 72.6±22.2 49.9±20.2 24.2±13.0 115 29.5±15.3 21.7±13.4
Non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Native 351 69.1±10.7 39.4±11.6 22.8±11.7 347 27.1±7.9 13.4±5.7
2 or more races 1253 72.9±4.6 44.4±5.2 22.1±4.5 1231 33.8±4.8 15.5±3.6
Maternal Education
Less than high school 2592 67.1±2.9 37.8±3.2 21.1±2.7 2572 26.4±3.0 10.6±2.2
High school graduate 4259 67.0±2.2 34.8±2.4 18.5±2.0 4187 28.9±2.3 12.9±1.9
Some college or technical school 6144 77.3±1.8 44.1±2.3 21.3±1.9 6071 35.4±2.2 15.3±1.8
College graduate 10547 89.1±1.0 64.6±1.6 34.8±1.6 10386 48.7±1.7 21.6±1.4
Maternal Age
Under 20 355 60.3±8.3 20.1±8.5 11.4±7.9 351 22.0±8.5 5.1±2.6
20 - 29 7836 71.2±1.7 37.4±1.9 18.2±1.5 7749 31.5±1.8 12.9±1.5
30 or older 15351 80.6±1.2 55.0±1.5 30.3±1.3 15116 40.0±1.5 18.3±1.1
Poverty Income Ratio3
Less than 100 5806 66.4±2.0 35.7±2.1 19.0±1.7 5754 27.8±2.0 12.4±1.6
100 – 199 4443 75.9±2.1 44.7±2.7 24.6±2.3 4374 34.5±2.6 14.7±2.0
200 – 399 6207 82.4±1.6 53.4±2.2 28.3±2.0 6121 41.6±2.2 17.7±1.8
400 – 599 3987 88.4±1.6 61.1±2.8 31.2±2.8 3921 47.6±2.9 19.9±2.3
600 or greater 3099 86.0±2.4 61.7±3.0 31.2±2.8 3046 45.1±3.1 21.5±2.6
Marital Status4
Married 17129 83.8±1.0 56.9±1.4 31.3±1.3 16874 42.4±1.4 19.3±1.1
Unmarried 6413 63.2±2.0 29.4±2.0 13.5±1.5 6342 25.2±1.9 9.7±1.5
Geographic Location5
Metropolitan 13349 78.2±1.2 49.0±1.5 26.1±1.3 13152 36.6±1.5 16.4±1.2
Non-metropolitan 3619 67.1±2.8 38.2±2.9 21.2±2.6 3583 32.5±2.9 13.8±2.3
Birth Order
First born 15017 75.4±1.3 47.8±1.5 26.2±1.3 14789 36.4±1.4 15.6±1.1
Not first born 8525 77.2±1.6 44.6±1.9 22.1±1.6 8427 35.1±1.8 15.7±1.5
Receiving WIC6
Yes 10293 68.8±1.5 36.4±1.7 18.8±1.4 10184 27.9±1.6 11.6±1.2
No, but eligible 1504 79.0±3.5 55.2±4.6 33.9±4.1 1473 45.0±4.7 22.8±4.1
Ineligible 11655 87.4±1.0 61.8±1.5 32.3±1.5 11473 47.5±1.6 21.0±1.3

1 Breastfeeding rates presented in this table are based on dual-frame (landline and cellular telephone) samples from 2011 and 2012 National Immunization Surveys. See survey methods for details on study design.

2 Exclusive breastfeeding is defined as ONLY breast milk — NO solids, no water, and no other liquids.

3 Poverty Income Ratio = Ratio of self-reported family income to the federal poverty threshold value depending on the number of people in the household.

4 Unmarried includes never married, widowed, separated, divorced.

5 Metropolitan area is defined by the Census Bureau.

6 WIC = Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children.

Source: National Immunization Survey, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Health and Human Services Sample sizes appearing in the breastfeeding tables are slightly smaller than the numbers published in other NIS publications due to the fact that in the breastfeeding analyses, the sample was limited to records with valid responses to the breastfeeding questions.